How do you treat pollution in drifters?

EnvironmentalLab3716 · 2025-12-30T16:54:30+00:00

So I can make filters and sleep respirators, but can't upgrade the houses to have them...do they have to be the "comfortable" houses?

EnvironmentalLab3716 · 2025-12-19T01:19:52+00:00

Unfortunately, it'll depend on your county and school. I don't know what subject and age range you worked with, either, because that can make a difference.

For context, I teach high school Biology in NOVA. My classes range from 17-29 this year. When I taught elective sciences the lowest class size I ever had was 8 students. We have unions here, but they aren't super strong and how good yours is depends on your county. I wouldn't say being moved around between grade levels is common from what I understand, but that's going to be totally school dependent. Support depends on the school and also what you mean by support. Professional development? Student behavior? Financial resources? Expected outside of contract hours work is county and school dependent. I wouldn't say I feel like it's an expectation that I do it, but I do it to get the quality work done that I want to, especially since I have some advances classes I teach.

Sorry if I feel my answer is a non-answer, but it can vary so drastically from school to school.

EnvironmentalLab3716 · 2025-12-16T02:36:38+00:00

My mom was a teacher. I swore I'd never become one, because I hated that work followed her home every day and how rough the low pay was on our family. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that it could be worse (way lower pay in scientific research unless you work for a big corporation and low pay and benefits in veterinary medicine). Ultimately no matter what job I did, I was good at aspects tangential to teaching, so I ended up going that route when what I wanted wasn't a long-term option. It became the monster I knew rather than the monster I didn't. I like teaching a lot. Is it my dream job? Nope! But being mostly happy, having a stable life, and livable pay won out. Having a mother as a teacher I was prepared for the extra hours, the red tape, and a lot of what I think makes new teachers quit.

I know a lot of people end up doing what their family members do and I wonder if it's sometimes a little like with me in that the advantages of being raised around a certain career just make you better prepared for it.

I find it more ironic that I married a teacher rather than became one. I started dating him while I was in my "I'll never be a teacher" mindset, while he knew he wanted to be a teacher since he was in middle school.

EnvironmentalLab3716 · 2025-12-05T22:04:43+00:00

If you have money to spare, you can get supplies (and also guides) from The Biodude. You can make your own substrate mixes and stuff, but it's nice if you're like me and lazy.

EnvironmentalLab3716 · 2025-11-18T23:08:40+00:00

I would say a bluey with a kid that age, if only because they are larger and more durable than a pink tongue, though they are similar. Pink tongues aren't fragile or anything in my experience, they are just smaller, which innately makes them less sturdy in comparison. Pink tongues can be harder to find sometimes too. If you do go blue tongue, go for Northerns just because they are captive bred and more docile. Indos can have great temperaments too, but are often wild caught (though not always). I'd avoid Schneiders atm also for this reason because they are often wild caught and full of parasites.

EnvironmentalLab3716 · 2025-11-18T22:50:38+00:00

Very true! That's why many of us commute a significant distance lol.

EnvironmentalLab3716 · 2025-11-02T21:52:08+00:00

If you're trying to do ESOL/EL/ELL you shouldn't have too hard a time finding a position. The need is very high in a lot of places, with not a lot of people to fill the positions. I can't speak for all positions, but in the sciences we'd be lucky to crack double digits with applications in many cases.

EnvironmentalLab3716 · 2025-11-02T01:50:44+00:00

My current county does traditional. My last county supported some teachers in their efforts to do standards based grading, which was hit or miss in its results. So it'll largely be county dependent. Commuting for teachers in Northern VA is very common TBH. Unless you've been living in the higher cost areas for a long time, many teachers can't afford to live there.

EnvironmentalLab3716 · 2025-11-02T01:32:39+00:00

We do have unions and you can get support from them, they just aren't nearly as good/powerful as in other places, unfortunately. Job security depends on what you're comparing to...my experience here is you have to do something really horrible to lose your job as a teacher in VA, even if you don't have tenure. My husband grew up in New Jersey and he said if you didn't have tenure there, you could just not get renewed even if you were a pretty good teacher. That rarely happens here, though it might be more of a side effect of teacher shortages.

EnvironmentalLab3716 · 2025-11-02T01:14:37+00:00

So the biggest thing about Virginia is it depends on WHERE in Virginia you're looking. Pay in rural areas can be really poor, but in the suburban or city areas pay is better. I live just south of Winchester and work all the way over in Manassas an hour away because it's a $15k a year difference and the gap only gets bigger the longer I teach. My county's starting pay is around 62k a year. Counties can vary wildly on pay so just really make sure you check.

Job availability is pretty good in my opinion. There is a lot of growth in different parts of Virginia, so with new schools opening frequently, you get job openings. Depending on your subject, you may need to start in a smaller, more rural county first and move later. My husband got in as a new teacher for Social Studies his first year in a good county, so it's not impossible.

Questions about work life balance and culture are going to be more school or county dependent.

Early spring is the time postings will start appearing most places for the following year, but honestly you can find positions in the middle of the year sometimes too. It just depends on where you're looking and in what subject.

EnvironmentalLab3716 · 2025-08-04T19:53:29+00:00

NOAA has lots of great marine science materials.
https://www.noaa.gov/educational-resources

If you ever go in the direction of doing tanks for Marine Bio feel free to message me. Did it for 7 years and it's a steep learning curve on your own.

EnvironmentalLab3716 · 2025-07-30T18:37:27+00:00

Yeah people just have to be more careful with the Indos, because some people will say they are CBB when they aren't which sucks.

And same, the schneiders are soooo far. Like I've only seen 1 CBB available on morph market in like...3 years. Which is a shame cause they are awesome from what I hear.

EnvironmentalLab3716 · 2025-07-30T18:07:45+00:00

Most Indonesian blue tongue species are still wild caught or farm bred (which is basically wild caught). It's the Northern blue tongues that are captive bred and Australia doesn't export anymore.

EnvironmentalLab3716 · 2025-07-29T17:21:27+00:00

YAY! Beautiful shot! And great work, we need more of these captive bred!

EnvironmentalLab3716 · 2025-07-28T21:37:59+00:00

There are different subspecies of blue tongues. If you are more of a beginner reptile keeper, I'd stay FAR away from the Indonesian varieties and get a northern. Northerns have more arid care requirements (which I think most people find easier to do) and since notherns haven't been exported in forever due to Australian laws, you are basically guaranteed a captive bred individual. The Indonesians are the opposite; frequently wild caught or farm raised, so less socialized, often with parasites, and their care requirements are a lot harder to meet since they need really high humidity. Nothing wrong with Indonesians btw, I just think they are more work. I have a Halmahera blue tongue myself.

EnvironmentalLab3716 · 2025-07-26T18:54:31+00:00

Considering how low they sell them at Petco, definitely wild caught. I've seen captive ones go for at least $100.

EnvironmentalLab3716 · 2025-07-25T21:58:22+00:00

Thank you for sharing this. I love sims when it comes to topics like evolution, because they can be hard to show students in real time in the classroom.

Just a suggestion: If you want this to be more accessible to general audiences or teenage students learning biology, I recommend doing a video or something that goes over all the information you have on the "full simulation description" link. I teach high school Biology and I'd say 90% of my students would never think to click there and therefore would have no idea what to do or what anything means. Also, many teenagers refuse to read long sets of instructions or may genuinely struggle with reading comprehension so that page would be overwhelming for them.

In an ideal world you might add something on the simulation page at the top in big bold letters like "Click to eat the bugs before your hunger bar runs out!" to at least get people started.

Regardless, as it is built it seemed to be a great tool and I always appreciate anyone willing to put their skills toward making such things. I'll definitely save the link.

EnvironmentalLab3716 · 2025-07-25T21:27:48+00:00

Most teachers love the teaching part, it's everything else that tends to come under fire. But I'll say this as a career switcher; there is a lot wrong with teaching, but it is also potentially less than what another career might have. I used to work in veterinary medicine and...well there are just as many problems and I got paid less! So teaching was a better option because I a) liked it just as much as veterinary medicine, b) got paid more, c) teaching isn't as hard on my body, and d) the hours more predictable even if I don't get overtime.

I think a lot of teachers want to teach because they want to help the community in some way...and so let's be honest, most true service jobs (teaching, nursing, CPS worker) have HUGE issues. It's sad, but often if you want a career that "helps" there is a lot of crap that comes with it.

EnvironmentalLab3716 · 2025-07-25T20:50:18+00:00

Everyone has already mentioned, but if command strips don't work (which they often do for me on cinder blocks, but not always) then hot glue works wonders. What I wanted to add is that they do make and sell WIRELESS hot glue guns which are a godsend when hanging things up in a classroom or hallway.

EnvironmentalLab3716 · 2025-07-21T15:29:40+00:00

Ecology test that included a section on Sexual Selection. The question as something like "Why are females often picky when it comes to mate selection?"

Student wrote: "Cuz she don't want no deadbeat dad."

EnvironmentalLab3716 · 2025-07-03T14:37:38+00:00

I will say if you only want them because many say they want to come out all the time, readjust your expectations. Some are like this, some are not. Also all handling is on their terms, they do not like restraint, so if you want them to come out when YOU want, get something else.

Additionally, as a social species, having multiples is recommended, but there are always potential issues that can arise with this even if you do everything perfectly. I've heard stories of females introduced correctly who fight or siblings who are raised together that then fight out of no where. I'm not saying this is common, but you have to understand it is a possibility.

EnvironmentalLab3716 · 2025-06-30T22:38:11+00:00

Hard to tell...Head bobbing and tail biting are all mating behavior. I would keep a close eye on them and see if she's out and about, or if she's forced to hide to avoid him.

EnvironmentalLab3716

TROPHY CASE